Dayton City Council hear drug task force concerns, pool proposal

DAYTON- The Dayton City Council meeting was held at 6 p.m., April 11, 2023. Mayor Zac Weatherford and council members Teeny McMunn, James Su’euga, Laura Aukerman, Kyle Anderson, Dain Nysoe, Shannon McMillen, and Tiger Dieu were present at Dayton City Hall.

Sheriff Joe Helm attended on Zoom and said the department’s two deputies are set to graduate from the state-required Basic Law Enforcement Academy on April 24, 2023.

The sheriff’s office and the Coalition for Youth and Families are conducting a “drug take-back” event in the Bank of Idaho parking lot, 11 a.m.– 1 p.m. on April 22, 2023. They will be accepting all types of drugs and medications for destruction to prevent accidental or illegal use by youth and vulnerable persons.

A “Hidden in Plain Sight” event is scheduled for the Liberty Theater on May 11, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. The event is for parents concerned about possible drug or alcohol use by their children.

Helm touched on the town hall meetings to discuss the closure of the county jail. The meetings are scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 18 and April 19, 2023, at the county fairgrounds. A third town hall is scheduled to discuss the county’s problem with fentanyl use. That meeting will be held at Dayton High School at 7 p.m., May 4, 2023.

The sheriff’s office holds its Search and Rescue Academy from May 19 through 21, 2023. The course will cover core competencies for anyone interested in assisting during a search and rescue.

Nysoe asked Helm if the county had someone on the drug task force. In an article published in the Union Bulletin before the last election, Helm highlighted the need for Community Oriented Policing programs, including the county drug task force. Helm said the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office has asked for participation from Columbia County; however, there was insufficient staff for the task force. It requires a dedicated position, and Helm hoped to have someone attached to the task force after two deputies returned from the Academy.

Nysoe asked if the county had previously participated in a county task force alongside other counties. Helm said it had not since Walt Hessler was sheriff.

Nysoe then asked about the six new vehicles the county was procuring for the sheriff’s office. Helm said the vehicles had been ordered to replace six older high-milage vehicles. Helm said purchasing the vehicles would have cost about $70,000 each, or over $420,000. Instead, the office will lease for a total cost of about $80,000 each year of the term for all six vehicles.

Nysoe then inquired if the current Civil Service Commission is active. Helm replied that “Yes, they are.”

Chuck Beleny spoke in the public comment period about efforts to build a pool in Dayton. His group wants to create a pool district under the umbrella of the county parks and recreation department. Beleny’s said his group has already collected sufficient signatures to put the issue before voters to build a pool in the same footprint as the former pool. Belany proposed an excess levy of 20 cents per $1000 of assessed property value to raise $200,000/year for pool maintenance.

Responding to McMunn, Beleny said construction funds would come from grants or, perhaps, bonds.

The council listened to a presentation on the Pietrzycki Day celebration scheduled for April 20, 2023. It will mark the one-hundredth anniversary of the cornerstone laid for the high school. Mr. Pietrzycki also donated the land to become the city park west of the school. Refreshments and exhibits will be available, including dramatization about Mr. Pietrzycki, written and performed by the seventh and eighth-grade drama students at 6 p.m.

The council approved the consent agenda and approved a proclamation recognizing Pietrzycki Day.

Next, the council unanimously approved the appointment of Heather Hiebert to the City of Dayton Planning Commission and authorized Ryan Paulson as Public Works Director. The council also voted to renew the contract with the Department of Corrections for prisoner labor on city projects.

After 7 p.m., the mayor closed the regular meeting. He opened a closed hearing to review the city’s staff report on the Jasper Pines Preliminary Plat application, which would subdivide two adjacent parcels into six single-family residential lots. The plat is near the south end of Fourth Street, on the east side of the street.

At 7:25 p.m., Weatherford resumed the regular meeting, and the council approved the Jasper Pines Preliminary Plat.

During committee reports, Anderson reported for the Public Safety Committee, said there had been complaints about people feeding wild turkeys, and the birds had become overabundant and aggressive. The council agreed the turkeys are a public nuisance and should be handled as such.

The council discussed the eight percent increase in the city’s contractual obligation to pay for the sheriff and courts. No action was taken. 

Mayor Weatherford reported that the signed land purchase agreement for the property designated for the wastewater treatment plant has finally been received. 

The meeting adjourned at 8:06 p.m., with the next meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 9, 2023.